Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain the importance of selecting a program of physical activity that is right for their age and level of development.
• Discuss how commonsense decisions and practices can reduce the risk of exercise- and activity-related injury.
• Identify safety measures for doing different types of resistance training.

Introducing the Lesson

If you can, locate a Charles Atlas-type ad from the 1940s or 1950s that shows the proverbial 98-pound weakling getting sand kicked in his face by a muscle-bound bully at the beach. Have students pass around the ad and examine the pictures and verbal content. Ask: What product is this ad trying to sell? (Weight-training programs and/or equipment.)

Discuss with students the reason for weight training implied in the ad. (To get back at bullies.) Elicit that this is not a healthy reason for taking part in any program of exercise. Ask: What would be some positive reasons for maintaining physical fitness and doing weight training? (Building strength to improve performance at a sport that involves stamina and power.) For whom is this training recommended?

Teaching Strategies

Call students' attention once again to the ad from a half century ago. Have students consider the likely age of the ad and what this reveals about the history of weight lifting. Ask: Do you think this practice started in the 1950s? If not, where and when do you think it has its origins? Explain that students are about to find out the answers to these questions. Add that they will also learn ways of maximizing safety and minimizing injury when doing all forms of resistance training, including weight lifting.

After students have completed the reading, you may either use the following as class discussion questions or assign them as individual or group work.

Follow Up

1. Extending. The article notes that many teens nowadays are doing weight training on their own. What factors do you think account for this trend? What role, if any, do you think the media play?
2. Summarizing. According to the article, what benefits can be obtained from resistance training? What precautions need to be taken?
3. Extending. Think back to the ad showing the person who had sand kicked in his face. From what you learned in the article, what advice would you give this person about weight lifting? What would be a more healthful way of dealing with a bully?

Integrating Social Studies and Health

Conduct a poll among students in your high school. Determine how many students take part in a weight-lifting program, the goals of those who do (e.g., feeling fit, qualifying for a team sport, having big muscles), and specifics about the types of activities done. Convert your findings into a graph, and share it with classmates.

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